Annual Canadian Minivan Sales: 2004-2014

Canadians are buying more minivans in 2014 than in the doldrums of 2013 - a record-setting year for the industry as a whole - but the trend continues to point to lackluster interest in these extraordinary family vehicles.

---

• Minivan Sales In Canada - September 2014 YTD
• All Vehicle Makes & Models Ranked By September 2014 YTD Canadian Sales

---

This interactive chart (hover over the line for more detail) shows nearly 185,000 minivan sales in calendar year 2004. It's unlikely more than 100,000 will be sold in 2014, which could still be the best minivan sales year since 2008. (A slower fourth-quarter could mean 2014 won't match up to 2012 in total minivan volume, or 2009's 99,241-unit pace.)

Canadians are, however, more interested in minivans than their American neighbours. 5.4% of the new vehicles sold in Canada this year have been MPVs, including two products (Chevrolet Orlando and Kia Rondo) which Americans can't buy. 

The U.S. market relies on minivans for just 3.4% of total auto sales. Even with the Orlando and Rondo excluded, sliding door vehicles still account for 4.7% of Canadian new vehicle volume. U.S. minivan sales are up 6% to 427,876 units in 2014.

American Honda's CR-Z Sales Fell To A 21-Month Low In September 2014

September 2014 was American Honda’s lowest-volume CR-Z sales month since December 2012.

248 CR-Zs were sold last month even as Honda dealers sat on sufficient inventory, at least by the standard of the CR-Z’s low desirability quotient, to sell more. According to Automotive News, Honda had a 79-day supply of CR-Zs at the beginning of the month, and of the 963 new CR-Zs Cars.com is currently showing in its database, the vast majority were in stock during the month of September.

---

• U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - September 2014 YTD
• U.S. Car Sales Rankings By Model - September 2014 YTD

---

Through the first eight months of 2014, Honda was selling 337 CR-Zs per month. Honda sold 4550 CR-Zs in 2013, equal to 379 per month. Monthly volume peaked at 1819 units in April 2011. After 5249 CR-Zs were sold in the final five months of 2010, annual sales reached 11,330 units in 2011 and then plunged to 63% to 4192 units in 2012. 2013’s recovery, at less than 9%, was moderate.


We’ve known for years that the CR-Z was not a CRX successor, but success could theoretically still have been located in some dark corner of the American car market if consumers had been convinced that the CR-Z represented something no other automaker offers. It’s an efficient two-seater with oddball styling, a desirable Honda badge, and some joy in its chassis.

Unfortunately, the CR-Z isn’t really all that efficient, with EPA numbers of less than 40 mpg on the highway. Manual-transmission CR-Zs are rated at just 31 mpg in the city.

In its record-setting month of April 2011, the CR-Z accounted for 2.6% of Honda passenger car sales, a figure which fell to 0.4% in September 2014, when sales were 86% down from that peak performance. Year-over-year, September sales were down 6%, a decline of 16 units as the overall auto industry grew 9%, as Honda brand passenger car sales jumped 17%, as Honda sold 1095 Accord Hybrids.

---

• Historical Monthly & Yearly Honda CR-Z Sales Figures
• Top 20 Worst-Selling Vehicles In America - September 2014
• 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid Driven Review

---

As for CR-Z alternatives, it’s difficult to know where to start, as there are no absolutely direct rivals. Fiat 500 sales jumped 29% to 2737 units in September. The Hyundai Veloster was up 22% to 2777 sales. Mini’s five-pronged Cooper range was down 42% to 2116 units. Scion tC sales fell 15% to 1404. Total Volkswagen Beetle volume was down 49% to 1821 units.

As for cars which sold in CR-Z-like numbers last month, that list includes the Porsche Boxster (275), Hyundai Equus (261), Jaguar XF (258), Porsche Cayman (245), the Nissan Cube (238), and Honda’s own Insight (240).

Ah yes, the Insight. We’ve already discussed its demise. As much as the CR-Z wasn’t as well executed as enthusiasts would have wanted, we can hope that Honda won’t force us to write a CR-Z eulogy any time soon. We can hope Honda will give it another shot, not with a supercharger, but with a completely new approach. There’s no need for Honda to give up. We’ve had about enough of the giving up with the dead and gone CRX, Integra, RSX, and Prelude.

America's 15 Best-Selling European SUVs And Crossovers - September 2014 YTD

For a change, we thought today we would profile a more specific sub-set of the American new vehicle marketplace. The vast majority of European brand SUV/crossover nameplates weren't even available or thought of little more than a decade ago, yet now they form an integral part of their respective automakers' lineups.

---

• Top 20 Best-Selling SUVs In America - September 2014
• Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - September 2014

---

These are the 15 best-selling European brand SUVs and crossovers in the United States through the first nine months of 2014, led most interestingly by two of the more established nameplates. The BMW X5 went on sale in the United States for the 2000 model year; the Mercedes-Benz ML two years earlier. Click here to see all SUVs and crossovers ranked by year-to-date U.S. volume.

Rank	Best-Selling European Auto Brand SUV/Crossover	September 2014 YTD	September 2013 YTD	%  Change
#1	BMW X5	33,021	31,280	5.6%
#2	Mercedes-Benz M-Class	32,114	29,400	9.2%
#3	Audi Q5	30,114	28,599	5.3%
#4	Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class	28,229	23,285	21.2%
#5	BMW X3	27,198	20,065	35.5%
#6	Volkswagen Tiguan	19,120	23,150	-17.4%
#7	Mercedes-Benz GL-Class	17,728	22,182	-20.1%
#8	Mini Countryman	17,124	15,596	9.8%
#9	BMW X1	15,728	18,348	-14.3%
#10	Volvo XC60	13,901	15,441	-10.0%
#11	Land Rover Range Rover Sport	13,633	10,984	24.1%
#12	Audi Q7	13,105	10,772	21.7%
#13	Porsche Cayenne	12,940	13,913	-7.0%
#14	Land Rover Range Rover	9094	8405	8.2%
#15	Land Rover Range Rover Evoque	8986	8169	10.0%

Source: Automakers & ANDC

Small And Midsize Luxury SUV Sales In Canada - September 2014 YTD

Mercedes-Benz Canada sold the company's first 184 GLA-Class crossovers in September 2014, a complement to the 247 BMW X1s sold and the 328 Audi Q3s.

---

• Canada Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - September 2014 YTD
• Canada SUV/Crossover Sales Rankings By Model - September 2014 YTD

---

Click Chart To Expand

Up a notch in size, Mercedes-Benz sold 649 GLKs, BMW sold 434 X3s and 100 X4s, and Audi sold 791 copies of the best-selling premium brand utility vehicle in Canada, the Q5. 

GCBC's review of the SQ5 will be published soon, as the car's week-long visit came to an end when Porsche Canada's Macan S was delivered to GCBC Towers for the third week of October.

September 2014 sales of these smallest luxury brand crossovers clearly increased dramatically as the X1 improved and was joined by two new nameplates. The larger (but still relatively small) cast of characters led by the Q5 posted 36% gains, or 20% if the newest players (Lincoln MKC and Porsche Macan) are excluded. 

You can click any model name in the tables below to find historical monthly and yearly Canadian auto sales data. You can also select a make and model at GCBC's Sales Stats page. These tables are now sortable, so you can rank luxury SUVs and crossovers any which way you like. Suggestions on how GCBC should break down segments can be passed on through the Contact page.

Click Column Headers To Sort • September 2015 • October 2014 • August 2014 • September 2013

Compact Luxury SUV	September 2014	September 2013	% Change	2014 YTD	2013 YTD	% Change
Audi Q3	328	---	---	610	---	---
BMW X1	247	171	44.1%	2137	2198	-2.8%
Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class	184	---	---	184	---	---
---	---	---	---	---	---	---
Total	759	171	344%	2931	2198	33.3%

Small Luxury SUV	September 2014	September 2013	% Change	2014 YTD	2013 YTD	% Change
Acura RDX	485	483	0.4%	4864	4536	7.2%
Audi Q5	791	665	18.9%	5971	5492	8.7%
BMW X3	434	385	12.7%	3956	4665	-15.2%
BMW X4	100	---	---	210	---	---
Infiniti QX50 / EX	172	97	77.3%	1418	1105	28.3%
Land Rover LR2	71	31	129%	468	373	25.5%
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque	146	188	-22.3%	1272	1316	-3.3%
Lincoln MKC	277	---	---	937	---	---
Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class	649	549	18.2%	4053	4616	-12.2%
Porsche Macan	136	---	---	798	---	---
Volvo XC60	184	134	37.3%	1184	1330	-11.0%
---	---	---	---	---	---	---
Total	3445	2532	36.1%	25,131	23,433	7.2%

Midsize Luxury SUV	September 2014	September 2013	% Change	2014 YTD	2013 YTD	% Change
Acura MDX	523	468	11.8%	4496	4521	-0.6%
Acura ZDX	1	1	0.0%	6	35	-82.9%
Audi Q7	141	195
BMW X5	461	478	-3.6%	4349	2565	69.6%
BMW X6	311	128	143%	692	643	7.6%
Cadillac SRX	337	420	-19.8%	3274	2730	19.9%
Infiniti QX60/JX	343	269	27.5%	2598	2433	6.8%
Infiniti QX70/FX	45	53	-15.1%	348	503	-30.8%
Land Rover LR4	31	36	-13.9%	301	323	-6.8%
Land Rover Range Rover Sport	141	218	-35.3%	1912	1211	57.9%
Lexus GX460	48	19	153%	413	215	92.1%
Lexus RX	672	760	-11.6%	5785	5830	-0.8%
Lincoln MKT	23	40	-42.5%	221	296	-25.3%
Lincoln MKX	205	355	-42.3%	2115	2465	-14.2%
Mercedes-Benz M-Class	436	522	-16.5%	4206	3402	23.6%
Porsche Cayenne	117	184	-36.4%	1545	1478	4.5%
Volkswagen Touareg *	240	154	55.8%	1674	1550	8.0%
Volvo XC70 *	55	61	-9.8%	407	482	-15.6%
Volvo XC90	72	30	140%	340	432	-21.3%
---	---	---	---	---	---	---
Total	4202	4391	-4.5%	34,682	31,114	11.5%

Source: Automakers & ANDC
* indicates a vehicle which is also shown in another GCBC segment breakdown
GCBC isn't here to break down segments, an impossible task for any group, but to display sales data for the sake of comparison. The more ways sales data can be displayed, the better. This explains you'll see the XC70 listed with luxury cars as well as with SUVs and crossovers and the Touareg with luxury SUVs and mainstream SUVs... because readers have wanted it both ways. You can always find the sales results for EVERY vehicle and form your own competitive sets by using the All Vehicle Rankings posts.

RECOMMENDED READING
Small & Midsize Luxury SUV Sales In Canada - September 2015 YTD
Small & Midsize Luxury SUV Sales In Canada - October 2014 YTD
Small & Midsize Luxury SUV Sales In Canada - August 2014 YTD
Small & Midsize Luxury SUV Sales In Canada - September 2013 YTD
Top 20 Best-Selling SUVs In Canada - September 2014
Canada Auto Sales Brand Rankings - September 2014 YTD
Large Luxury SUV Sales In Canada - September 2014 YTD

Small And Midsize Luxury Car Sales In Canada - September 2014 YTD

BMW Canada's September 2014 marked the best sales month for the 4-Series since the model range switched over from the 3-Series ledger to the 4er in October of last year. 

---

• Canada Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - September 2014 YTD
• Canada Car Sales Rankings By Model - September 2014 YTD

---

Click Chart To Expand

Combined sales of the 3er and 4er, which operated solely under the 3-Series banner at this time last year, rose 3.4% to 1415 units in September 2014, 77% of BMW car volume and 42% of total BMW volume last month.

Competitors are certainly coming at the 3-Series from all corners lately. Audi sold 393 copies of their entry-level A3 sedan in September. Though the A4 is the more direct 3-Series rival, the base price of the 2.0L turbocharged A3, $35,900, places the A3 2.0T in direct line with the basic 320i, a $39,990 car. 

Mercedes-Benz has also sold more than 300 CLA-Class sedans in each of the last six months, having averaged 179 CLA sales per month in the preceding seven months. And now, the new C-Class is arriving to take the three-pointed-star fight more directly to the 3-Series. Sales of the Lexus IS are up 85% in 2014. 

Although the IS's total, 3094 units, pales in comparison with the 7462-unit total achieved by the 3-Series, it's important to keep the size of the IS model range in mind. Lexus markets rear and all-wheel-drive IS sedans with just two engine options and no transmission options. (The ISC accounts for just 3.7% of the IS's Canadian sales total this year.) BMW, on the other hand, sells the 3-Series as a sedan, wagon, and hatchback with rear and all-wheel-drive models with six different engines and a variety of transmissions. 

Would the IS sell like the 3-Series if Lexus expanded the number of available options? No, but the gap would undoubtedly close.

You can click any model name in the tables below to find historical monthly and yearly Canadian auto sales data. You can also select a make and model at GCBC's Sales Stats page. These tables are now sortable, so you can rank luxury cars any which way you like. Suggestions on how GCBC should break down segments can be passed on through the Contact page.

Click Column Headers To Sort • September 2015 • October 2014 • August 2014 • September 2013

Small/Entry  Luxury Car	September 2014	September 2013	% Change	2014 YTD	2013 YTD	% Change
Acura ILX *	219	169	29.6%	2220	2678	-17.1%
Acura TLX	381	---	---	381	---	---
Acura TSX	---	70	-100%	205	569	-64.0%
Audi A3	393	5	7760%	1604	352	356%
Audi A4  ^	432	491	-12.0%	4301	4507	-4.6%
Audi A5 *	155	147	5.4%	1805	1831	-1.4%
BMW 1-Series	---	25	-100%	2	572	-99.7%
BMW 2-Series *	101	---	---	567	---	---
BMW 3-Series	1014	1369	-25.9%	7462	9855	-24.3%
BMW 4-Series *	401	---	---	2499	---	---
BMW i3	23	---	---	139	---	---
Cadillac ATS	264	268	-1.5%	2612	2163	20.8%
Infiniti Q60/G ^	37	32	15.6%	356	436	-18.3%
Infiniti Q50 ^	239	357	-33.1%	2497	1861	34.2%
Lexus CT200h	107	107	0.0%	828	804	3.0%
Lexus IS	390	323	20.7%	3094	1670	85.3%
Mercedes-Benz B-Class *	222	250	-11.2%	2121	2426	-12.6%
Mercedes-Benz C-Class	694	733	-5.3%	4958	7005	-29.2%
Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class	326	108	202%	2730	108	2428%
Volvo C30	---	8	-100%	---	301	-100%
Volvo S60/V60	116	111	4.5%	1498	1024	46.3%
---	---	---	---	---	---	---
Total	5514	4573	20.6%	41,879	38,162	9.7%

Midsize Luxury Car	September 2014	September 2013	% Change	2014 YTD	2013 YTD	% Change
Acura RLX/RL ^	16	28	-42.9%	202	127	59.1%
Acura TL	39	296	-86.8%	1288	1763	-26.9%
Audi A6	136	111	22.5%	893	784	13.9%
Audi A7	57	74	-23.0%	757	528	43.4%
BMW 5-Series	242	269	-10.0%	1714	1767	-3.0%
Cadillac CTS	67	83	-19.3%	794	702	13.1%
Cadillac XTS ‡	47	54	-13.0%	513	558	-8.1%
Hyundai Equus ‡	4	8	-50.0%	56	62	-9.7%
Hyundai Genesis ‡*	113	49	131%	1186	784	51.0%
Infiniti Q70/M	18	33	-45.5%	73	215	-66.0%
Jaguar XF	52	46	13.0%	434	435	-0.2%
Kia K900 ‡	5	---	---	21	---	---
Lexus ES	236	300	-21.3%	2038	2432	-16.2%
Lexus GS	28	56	-50.0%	381	518	-26.4%
Lincoln MKS	14	25	-44.0%	176	205	-14.1%
Lincoln MKZ	108	195	-44.6%	1167	1133	3.0%
Mercedes-Benz E-Class & CLS-Class *^	386	317	21.8%	2909	2330	24.8%
Mercedes-Benz R-Class	---	3	-100%	---	112	-100%
Volvo S80	1	8	-87.5%	48	41	17.1%
Volvo XC70 *	55	61	-9.8%	407	482	-15.6%
---	---	---	---	---	---	---
Total	1624	2016	-19.4%	15,057	14,978	0.5%

Source: Automakers & ANDC
GCBC isn't here to break down segments, an impossible task for any group, but to display sales data for the sake of comparison. The more ways sales data can be displayed, the better. This explains why you'll see the XC70 listed with luxury SUVs and the Acura ILX with mainstream cars... because readers have wanted it both ways. You can always find the sales results for EVERY vehicle and form your own competitive sets by using the All Vehicle Rankings posts.
^ Acura combines sales figures of the outgoing RL with the new RLX. Mercedes-Benz's Canadian sales figures combine the E-Class with the CLS-Class. Audi Canada's A4 sales figures include sales of the Allroad.
^ Total Infiniti G/Q50/Q60 sales: down 29% to 276 in September; up 24.2% to 2853 YTD.
‡ The XTS, K900, and Equus aren't listed here because they're not massive - they are - but because their price points position them much more closely to, for example, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class than the S-Class. Genesis sales figures here do not include sales of the Genesis Coupe (as Hyundai's U.S. Genesis sales figures do), making the comparison with premium brand vehicles much more valid.

RECOMMENDED READING
Small & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In Canada - September 2015 YTD
Small & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In Canada - October 2014 YTD
Small & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In Canada - August 2014 YTD
Small & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In Canada - September 2013 YTD
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In Canada - September 2014
Canada Auto Sales Brand Rankings - September 2014 YTD
Large Luxury Car Sales In Canada - September 2014 YTD